A Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) appliance is an endpoint communication device, which reflects the convergence of computer, communication, and networking technologies. A VoIP appliance encodes a voice signal as data, and transmits the voice data over communication links employing the Internet Protocol. The Internet Protocol (IP) is a network-layer (OSI Model Layer 3) protocol that contains addressing and control information to permit data packets to be routed in a network. From a consumer perspective, a VoIP telephone has broad consumer appeal, because it appears much like a traditional analog telephone, using traditional, well characterized, and generally stable public switched-circuit telephony networks, yet provides functions and features that extend beyond those found in traditional telephony products.
From a technical perspective, a VoIP appliance can be viewed as a sophisticated digital communications exchanging voice and traditional data signals over heterogeneous communications links within a global communications internetwork. A voice signal outbound from a VoIP appliance usually traverses communication links that constitute part of a public, store-and-forward, switched-packet network, which facilitates timely voice data exchange over multiple transmission media (e.g., fixed or wireless media) and multiple communications modes (e.g., optical or electromagnetic modes). Therefore, despite its favorable comparison to conventional analog telephony devices, VoIP appliances can be a component of an inherently complex end-to-end digital communications system. The nearly-universal consumer expectation for simplicity in product installation, and for reliability over a product's lifespan appear to be in tension with the practical difficulties that may arise when attempting to reliably communicate time-sensitive data over a vast web of loosely-compatible elements. Increasingly, private and business consumers alike demand automated product installation, maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair using software agents and dedicated applications, called wizards, to minimize the perceived the burdens of sophisticated device ownership. Traditionally, after installation and set-up, a VoIP service-provider (VSP) transmits a test signal to verify the basic functionality of a VoIP appliance.
However, such limited provider-side functional testing tends to verify only downstream functionality of the VoIP appliance, that is, inbound communications to the VoIP appliance from the VSP. Until the VoIP appliance user unsuccessfully attempts to place an outbound VoIP call, the unverified upstream datapath, from the VoIP appliance to the VSP, is presumed to be functional by the consumer and by the VSP. Therefore, it is desirable to provide subscriber-side VoIP verification, which includes verification of at least one VoIP appliance upstream datapath (i.e., signaling, media, or both). It also is desirable to provide simplified installation, troubleshooting, maintenance, and repair procedures, with minimal intervention, if any, by VSP technical or customer service personnel.